You got to fight for what you want... (The Flashing Blade (DVD))

Member Name: Islander

Product:	The Flashing Blade (DVD)
Date:	28/11/01 (2183 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Story, Picture

Disadvantages: No extras

I’ve been looking forward to seeing this story again (it hasn’t been on TV for at least 11 years) ever since I heard a DVD release was impending (having spent the last few years looking in the TV magazine every Tuesday to see if it was going to be on the following week – sad or what? rhetorical question by-the-way), and I’m pleased to say it is not a disappointment and is every bit as enjoyable as it was all those years ago.

This double disc box set (also available singularly – but what’s the point? more expensive to buy separately and you don’t get the nice cardboard box to keep the two amaray packaged discs in) contains all twelve episodes of this classic swashbuckling series. Originally made in 1967 and first shown on the BBC in 1969 it has dated well. It is the story of two French soldiers (Cavalier Recci and his valet Guillot), who have been given the task of getting reinforcements for their comrades who are defending a castle at Castile from the Spanish (it is set in 1630 during the France-Spain war), and follows their various adventures with plenty of sword fighting, in fact you don’t even notice the fact it has been dubbed into English from its original French soundtrack (except episode 12 which is in French and subtitled), it is so fast paced.

The main thing you’ll probably remember is the distinctive theme song “You’ve got to fight for what you want, for all that you believe” and “it’s better to have fought and lost, than not have fought at all”, remember those lyrics? Watch this and the memories of being sat in front of your black & white set on a Sunday morning waiting for the latest episode will flood back (I always managed to miss the first episode for some reason and never did see the last one – until now).

The series is presented in the original TV ratio of 4:3 and considering the age of the source material, the print is in su
rprisingly good condition – there are the odd lines and white spots, but that is only to be expected from a TV show this old, and it doesn’t look as if it has been digitally cleaned up at all, but is still better than it would be on videotape. The first eleven episodes are lacking in the colour definition department and look quite washed out when compared to episode twelve, which has very deep vibrant colours, I can only assume (seeing as episode 12 is subtitled and not dubbed into English), that the first eleven are from the original stock that the BBC has shown periodically over the years, but episode twelve was sourced from the original makers in France. This would obviously be a cost cutting exercise as to source all twelve may have cost more (if they still exist), and would have either needed the soundtracks re-recording with the dubbed version, the dubbing being re-done or subtitles applied to all twelve episodes, whatever the reason don’t let that put you seeing this. The sound is Mono (as you would expect), and doesn’t sound too bad, there’s not a lot else I can say about it, apart from the fact it is clear with no pops or distortion.

Detailing the extras is easy – there aren’t any! Unless you bought the box set, in which case you get a cardboard box with some pretty good artwork on it, to keep the two disc boxes in, if you bought them singularly then you get nothing. There are static menus and you can either elect to watch all the six episodes on a disc in order, or select an individual episode, each episode is also divided up into around 5 chapters.

Shame about the lack of extras, but, it's still a nice little package and well worth getting.

Summary: